Resilient spring wire support



Feb. 6, 1951 P. c. FORBES RESILIENT SPRING WIRE SUPPQRT Filed July 16, 1948 INVENTOR. Pf/Flf 6'. Fd/fdfd' BY ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1951 RESILIENT SPRING WIRE SUPPORT Perley 0. Forbes, Mishawaka,

Ind., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 16, 1948, Serial No. 39,161

This invention relates to an improved spring, and particularly to a spring construction adapted to be suspended between frame members to form a resilient base for seats, and other such resilient supporting structures such as davenports, beds, automobile seats and the like.

Heretofore various types of springs, such as coil springs, spiral springs, and rubber springs have been used in the construction of resilient bases for the above mentioned uses. In such prior constructions special means were used to anchor the spring members to the frame structure. In some of the constructions the use of coil springs and elliptical springs alone or combined with p l pri gs increased the thickness of the seatstructure to a point where it either could not be conveniently accommodated in the required space to permit the use of the desired thickness of padding above the spring base, or utilized space that might be used for other purposes. The latter conditions are sometimes met in automobile seats where it is required that the top surface of the seat be positioned relatively close to the floor, and the space below the seat is useful for storage,

One of the objects of this invention is toprovide a resilient base for a seat which is shallow and comfortable, and is also relatively inexpensive due to its simplicity of construction, small number of parts and the convenient and efiicient u manner in which the assembled.

This invention and the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are further disclosed in the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a resilient seat base, embodying this invention and mounted on supports extending from a platform;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of one end of a spring unit attached to a frame member on one side of the resilient base;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the frame member taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. and showing one end of the unloaded spring unit supported on the frame member; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the position of the spring unit when it is loaded.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the resilient base ||l embodying this invention comprises a frame having continuous spring units l2 extending across the frame, and adapted to resiliently support a load, such as the body of a person, which normally would be supported directly by some form of a padding or cushion (not spring members may be 5 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) shown) resting upon the units l2 and covering the entire top surface of the resilient seat base. As shown herein, the resilient seat base may be supported on upright supports l3 extending from the floor below, and the base may be suitably secured to the supports i3 by screws I4, orother like securing means extending through the frame into the supports.

Each of the spring units I2 is made of a continuous length of spring wire having its ends I 5 and I6 united by a weld IT. The spring units l2 comprise suspended portions, or members I8, which are secured to the frame members |:9 at the opposite Sides of the frame It by the looped ends 20 of the spring units l2.

The details of the looped ends20 of the spring units l2 are shown in Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawings. The suspension members l8 extend into a pair of spring loops 2|, which are curved around the frame member l9, but are separated therefrom by the spaces 22 as shown in Fig. 3. The spring loops 2| are united to a pair of intermediate loops 23, which are also curved around the supporting frame member l9 and are supported. by the frame member H) in contact therewith, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. The inner pair of loops 23 and the outer pair of loops 2| are connected by a pair of loops 24, which lies in aplane generally perpendicular to the planes of the loops 2| and 23. The pair of inner loops 23 is connected by a loop 25 on the opposite side of the frame member l9 from the pair of loops 24. The loop 25 also lies generally in planes perpendicular to the plane of loops 2| and 23.

The spring units |2 are made from spring wire, which may be bent while cold. Each unit is made from a continuous length of wire, and the ends thereof may be united either before or after the length of wire is shaped into the spring unit. The length of wire may be shaped into the spring units H. on the supporting frame H, but the lengths of wire are preferably shaped on another form, and then assembled on the supporting frame by springing the loops 2| and 23 to a larger radius and slipping them over the frame members I9. Thiscan be done, if the connecting loops 24 do not extend too far beyond a tangent to the frame member I9 which is also perpendicular to the suspension members I8. For the purpose of more clearly illustrating the looped ends 20, the loops 24 are shown as extending beyond such tangent, but in order to assemble the units l2 on the frame with greater facility, it is desirable that the loops 24 extend beyond the d'ri-iteol'by connecting loops movement of the load is resiliently resisted by the which tend to maintain, their,

spring loops 2 I shape due to the spring action ofthe wire. As

the load is increased, the spring loops '2 [contract until they make contact with the frame member 19, as shown in Fig. 4. As the contraction proceeds, the suspension members l8 are deflected downwardly by the load, and when the loops 2| make contact with the surface of the frame member I9, a snubbing action is set up between the spring loops 2i and the frame members 19. The ,snubbing action cushions the end of the movement of the load, as the looped ends 20 of the spring units 12 turn about the frame memb ers H 9. The angle through which the looped ends 20are adapted to turn about the frame member is from its unloaded to its loaded position is illustrated by the angle 26 in'Fig. 4. Such angle may be of a variable number of degrees, but by way of example, and without limitation in respect; thereto, it has been found that an angle of about'15 gives satisfactory performance.

For the purpose of giving greater stability to the spring units l2, they are shown herein as being provided with a pair of extension members l3," and with a pair of intermediate loops 23,

25. However, the conne'cting'loops 25 maybe severed near their centers-2i, so as to disconnect the suspension memhers is of a spring unit, and the separated suspension members and spring loops 2! will continue .to function as before, particularl if the loo'ps'zl and 23 are placed close together. Accordingly it is not necessary that the suspension members 18 be'equally'loaded when they are united in a single unit l2 as illustrated.

While thepreferred embodiment of this invention-'is-shown and described herein, it will be understood that the details thereof may be changed without departing from the spirit of this invention'an'd the s'cope'of the appended claims.

-I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

/-1.-A continuous wire spring having loops adapted to embrace a support, one of said loops being bent on a radius smaller than the other loop, .a loop connecting said loops of different radius and. lying .in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the other loops, said loop of smaller radius being adapted to be supported on the support, and said loopv of smaller radius and connecting loop being adapted to support said loop of'largerradius out of contact with the support when no load is applied.

"2. A continuous wire spring having a pair of inside and a pair of outside loops adapted to embrace a support, said inside loops being bent on a radius smaller than the outside loops, a pair of 2,540,779 j .i 7 I1 4 loops connecting one loop of each pair of outside loops to one loop of each loop of said inside pair of loops, a loop connecting said loops of said inside pair of loops, said connecting loops lying in planes generally perpendicular to the planes of said loops which are adapted to embrace said support, and said inside pair of loops and said pair of loops connecting said inside painof loops to said outside pair of loops being adapted to support said outside pair of loops out of contact with v the support when no load is applied to said spring.

3. A continuous wire spring unit having spring members at each end' thereof adapted to b supported on a support-and connected by suspension members extending between said ends of said spring unit, each of said ends of said spring unit comprising a pair of outside loops adapted to embrace the support, a pair of inside loops adapted to embrace said support, a pair of loops connecting one loop of each air of inside and outside loops, a loop connecting said loops of said'inside pair of loops, said connecting loops lying gener ally'in' planes perpendicular to the planes of said embracing loops, said inside pair of loops being bent on a smaller radius than said outside pair of loops, and said inside pair of loops and said loops connecting said inside and outside pair of loops being adapted to support said outside pair of loops out of contact with the support when no load is applied to the suspended portion of said spring support. r

4. A resilient supporting structure comprising a frame, suspension members extending across said frame, wire spring'members connected to said suspension members, wire means continuous with said spring members for attaching said spring members to a frame member, said spring members comprising a U-shaped turn hooked over and spaced from said frame member, said wire attaching means comprising U-shaped turns hooked over and engaging said frame member and united to said first turns on the side of said frame opposite to said suspension members.

.5. A resilient supporting structure comprising a' frame, suspension members extending across said'frame, wire spring members comprising U- shaped turns connected to said suspension members and hooked over and'spaced from a frame member, U-shaped turns of wire continuous with said wire spring members hooked over said frame member in engagement therewith and located between said spring members.

' PERLEY C. FORBES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 456,077 7 Great Britain Nov. 3, 1936 

